Untamed: The Savage: The Complete Series (12 page)

T
he trek home
took several days. I hadn’t expected it to take so long, but my legs were listless, finding it hard to support a body heavy with regret. Still, I stuck with my decision and slogged on.

It was the proverbial “making my bed and lying in it.” I had made a terrible choice and now I needed to live with the consequences.

By the time I neared the cave I was exhausted down to the marrow. I could barely hold my head up as I trudged up the familiar metal stairs. The sun had set hours ago, but even if I couldn’t see anything, my feet remembered every step as if I’d never left.

“Stop right there!”

I should have noticed the intruder long before I’d even come close to the cave, but the city had dulled my senses and I didn’t notice the young police officer coming up the stairs behind me until it was too late.

“Raise your hands where I can see them,” he said, his gun pointed at me. But for all his assertiveness, I could see the trepidation in his eyes.

With muscles coiled, I stalked toward him. “What are you doing here?” I demanded, hoping to intimidate him.

He stood his ground and lifted the gun higher but, before he could reply, a deeper voice behind me spoke. “We got an anonymous call a few days ago.”

I spun around and faced the police officer named Morcillo at the top of the stairs, the man who had doggedly searched for me for more than ten years. “Who?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He came down the stairs, his gun drawn and pointed, eyes bright and calculating. The cop at the bottom of the stairs crept up behind me, holding out a pair of handcuffs.

“I don’t know how you’ve managed to evade me all these years. The great Rocky Mountain Savage,” Morcillo said in a mocking tone.

They wanted savage? Well they’d get savage.

I charged Morcillo. He was fast but I managed to take him by surprise, sending him stumbling backward and falling on his ass. I spun around and kicked the other man in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards. I grabbed the metal railing and leapt over the side of the stairs. The second my feet touched the cold forest floor, I took off into the trees, leaving behind the sound of shouting and stomping on metal.

Things buzzed by my ear, but it wasn’t until the third one that I realized they were bullets. And they were really fucking close. My shoes slowed me down but I kept going, jumping over tree roots and dodging plants.

I jolted forward when something bit into my shoulder, but adrenaline kept me charging headlong into the darkness. I finally stopped two or three miles later, my muscles burning, my lungs screaming for air. I clutched my arm close, my back beginning to throb.

The exhaustion finally caught up with me and my vision swam. The last thing I remembered was the ground rushing up at me.

I
woke up a while later
, disoriented and shivering. Something warm and wet scraped across my face. I opened my eyes and found a red wolf curled up beside me, licking my face. I snuggled closer in the animal’s warmth, trying to figure out how long I’d been unconscious. It was pitch dark and freezing. If it wasn’t for the wolf, I might have already died of hypothermia.

“Thank you.” I pressed my face into her warm fur for a few more moments before gathering enough strength to get up off the forest floor. I staggered in the direction of the cave, hoping the police officers were gone. The wolf followed me for some time before going her own way.

Even with my shoulder on fire, I trudged on until I neared the cave. I slowed, peering through the trees to assess the area. A police officer stood guard at the top of the stairs, looking out over the area.

Wincing, I doubled around and climbed up the side of the mountain, searching for the opening in the caves where I’d first learned of Chloe’s aversion to meat. It was hard to see in the dark but, after some time, I finally found where the mountain opened up. I crawled closer to the mouth and peered inside.

Another police officer. Damn it.

I pounded a fist into the cold ground. There were no other outlets, no other ways for me to reach my home. I had no doubt they were combing through the caves right now, and when they found the gap in the wall—and no doubt they would—I hoped they didn’t take the one thing I needed inside.

“
H
ave you thought this through
?” Anna asked, looking at me like I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t really blame her. I’d appeared at her doorstep in the middle of the night without warning, carrying only my backpack and a half-baked plan.

I sank onto the couch, weary but wired. “Not really.”

She perched on the edge of the coffee table and took my hands. “So let me get this straight: You want to go after him, even though he left you?”

“He didn’t have a choice.”

Her face wrinkled with pity. “Chloe…”

“Look, I know how this looks. I look irrational and desperate, but I have to do this.”

“You really don’t.”

“My dad is setting him up.”

“Did he say that?”

“No, but I have this feeling…” I looked around the room. “My dad bugged my apartment. He’d have no trouble figuring out where Alaric lives and no qualms about calling the cops on him.”

“So what, you’re going to charge over there and...?”

“Warn him.”

“And if it’s too late?”

I almost choked on the lump in my throat. “That’s why I have to go right now.” I rose to my feet and grabbed my backpack. “I just wanted you to know in case something happened. I need someone to know where I went.”

“You sure you didn’t come here to get talked out of this crazy plan?” she asked with a hopeful smile.

“Actually, I came here to borrow your gun.”

“I figured,” she said and headed to the bedroom. Anna’s brother was a police officer and had given her a gun for safety. As far as I knew, she had never even fired it, had always been too afraid to even put it in her nightstand.

She came back with a heavy plastic gun case and a box of bullets. Her eyes remained on my face. “I’m asking you one last time: Are you sure about this? About him?”

For the first time since I’d laid eyes on him, the answer came without hesitation. “Yes.”

T
he first time
I’d driven to Bryson City, it took a little over five hours. This time I reached the town in under four hours and thirty minutes. The sun was barely peeking over the mountains when I made my way down Main Street, parking in front of the Bryson City Cabins office. I ran out to grab one of the free maps in the plastic holder outside the store and rushed back to the car. I had the GPS on my phone and had downloaded a few different maps applications, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a backup in case my phone ran out of charge before I reached my destination.

I drove into the mountains the only way I knew, which was directly towards the cabin I’d rented a few months ago. It was nearing December and the leaves were all gone, leaving the trees looking like skeletons in the misty morning light. Finding no other vehicles at the cabin, I parked nearby and climbed out. I took the gun out of the case and began to fill the magazine with bullets, hoping like hell I was doing it correctly.

I shivered as I put on my backpack. I had dressed for winter weather, but I hadn’t expected it to be this cold. I was screwed if it snowed.

But there was no room for doubt now. With a thundering heart, I took a deep breath and set off into the forest.

I made headway but my luck ran out when, after two hours or so of walking, my phone service completely crapped out. I stopped and attempted to orient myself. With my phone held as high as I could, I walked around trying to find a bar or two of service, but with each minute of zero bars that passed, the panic grew. Alaric was in trouble and here I was, literally spinning in place like a nitwit.

I swiped a palm down my face and took a deep breath.

Collect yourself, Chloe. Surely you can figure out how to read a freaking map.

I pulled out the paper map and focused. It was a map from Halloween, with “spooky” places of interest marked on the map, places with supposed paranormal activity. And there, marked five miles from my starting point, was a place titled “Haunted Caverns.”

Only halfway sure I was facing the right direction, I pressed on.

I
broke
into the clinic at the edge of town. I had nowhere else to go.

It was a risk coming into town, but this was the only place I could think of that would have what I needed. I crept into the alleyway beside the building then climbed inside a high window, slipping inside the clinic without ever being seen.

Hurriedly I locked the door to the exam room and began rifling through the drawers, pulling out packages of gauze, cotton balls, wipes. Finally, in the very last drawer, I found a pair of tweezers. I ripped off my shirt and stood in front of mirror on the wall. I reached over my shoulder, inserting the ends of the tweezers into the wound in my shoulder, but no matter which way I twisted, I couldn’t get a firm grasp of the bullet.

My vision swam from the pain. Between my bare feet, blood dripped and pooled.

“What are you doing here?”

With great effort, I turned to the older woman frozen at the doorway, her eyes wide and frantic. She pulled out a phone from her pocket. “I’m calling the police.”

I held out a hand. I tried to take a step forward but fell into the exam table. I stumbled again, pushing past the frightened woman and out the front door.

As I stood on the sidewalk, a strange sensation took hold of my heart and squeezed, the inexplicable feeling that Chloe was here.

And she was in trouble.

In that moment everything came into focus. It didn’t matter if I was caught and thrown in jail. I needed to get to Chloe no matter what.

T
he sun was
high in the sky when the caverns finally came into view. I almost cried in relief.

Even with blistered feet I hurried towards the metal staircase, running up two steps at a time. This time their metallic squeaking was a welcome sound. Despite the fear of what I’d find inside the caves, I felt the weight lifting off my chest a little.

Alaric, I’m coming
.

I ran past the rock plateau and stopped inside the mouth of the cave, listening for any movement inside. Hearing nothing, I made my way to Alaric’s home with caution.

With one final look over my shoulder, I slid between the overlapping walls. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his things untouched, his secret hideout still safe. But the relief was short lived. As I walked around, it quickly became clear that he hadn’t been here for a long time. Months, maybe. His tools were clean and sitting neatly in the niche in the wall, his food room empty, bed still made.

I found myself in the bedroom, turning in place with glazed eyes. I sank onto the bed, my hope seeping out. I’d been so sure Alaric came back here, that he was in trouble and needed my help, but it turned out I was completely off the mark. Whatever invisible connection I thought we had was nothing but wishful thinking.

I buried my face in my hands and cried. It was like losing him all over again.

Maybe it was time to face the truth: Alaric had wanted out of my life. My father had only opened the door; Alaric had been the one to step through it.

With hazy eyes, I looked around and tried to memorize the room. I’d only stayed here a few days, yet in those few days I’d felt comfortable, safe. In here I was free to be myself without fear of judgment or ridicule. In here I was loved.

My eyes caught on something peeking out from under the pillow. After swiping at my face, I reached for it: A generic blue notebook used in schools. Scrawled on the front in black marker were the words
Log of Debt.
Inside were locations, names of items, and the date they were taken.

Campground by Bryson City / Toothbrush / September 25, 2000

Cabin north of Ridge Top Motel / Sandwich and bottle of water / September 26, 2000

I flipped through, finding pages and pages of things Alaric had taken over the years. He had been thorough, even logging the number of apples he’d taken from the orchard’s ground. The dates went as far back as fourteen years, his handwriting changing as the years passed. I flipped through to the end of the list and gasped when I saw my name.

Cabin off Expressway / Chloe / October 2015

I swiped at my cheeks, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. I’d been nothing but an object to him, something to be taken then logged into his notebook. Our time together was precious to me, but as it turned out, was nothing but a blot of ink to him.

I rolled up the book and slipped it into my backpack. Hell, if he could steal from me, then I could return the favor.

I froze when I heard movement outside. My heart leapt to my throat as I ran out. “Ala—” I stopped short, colliding with someone when I turned the corner.

Two hands gripped the straps of my backpack, steadying me. “Whoa there.”

I looked up, but the person standing before me wasn’t the tall, dark man I’d been expecting. “Tim?”

He steadied me with gloved hands. “Miss Randall,” he said, not sounding at all surprised to find me inside this cave.

I took a step back. “What are you doing here?”

“I’d like to ask you the same thing,” he said, affecting a stern expression. “Don’t you know it’s extremely dangerous out here right now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Smoky Mountain Savage is back.”

My heart stopped. I swallowed. “He’s back?”

“There had been no sightings for a few months, no break-ins or missing items. Then yesterday the police received an anonymous call and they were able to intercept the savage on his way here.”

“They caught him?” I held my breath, unwilling to believe the possibility.

“No. He got away,” Tim said. “But they put a few bullets in him first. They’re now conducting a massive manhunt throughout the entire national park, though I expect they’ll find nothing but a body mangled by wolves or bears.”

A ripple of terror traveled up my spine, the vision of Alaric’s dead body embedding itself into my brain. I found it hard to breathe, the rock walls caving in on me. I edged around Tim, needing to reach the exit for fresh air.

Tim watched me closely, blocking my way. “But what I don’t understand is how you managed to find his home. The police have been scouring this area for years and even they haven’t been able to find it.”

I shrugged. “I just stumbled across it.”

“I don’t believe that,” he said with narrowed eyes. “I’ve been following you since this morning, Chloe. Since you started at my cabin. You knew exactly how to find this hidden cave.”

The menacing tone of his voice pulled me up short.

“I think you know who he is,” he said, pointing a finger in my face. “I think you’ve been here before. With him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, turning to leave. I needed out of here. Now.

He lunged forward and grabbed my backpack. “Tell me who he is,” he cried.

I tried to shake out of his hold but he was stronger than he looked. “Let me go.”

His fingers tightened around my arm painfully. “You’re not leaving this cave until you tell me everything you know.” With a menacing grin, he reached behind him and produced Alaric’s machete. “I
need
to know.”

“Let me go.” I struggled against him but his hold on my arm and pack were firm. I twisted around and slipped out of the backpack’s straps, stumbling back, realizing too late he now had possession of the gun inside.

He noticed me glancing at the backpack and smiled, all traces of humor or humanity absent from his face. “What are you hiding in here?” He tugged on the zipper and upended the bag, my things tumbling to the rock floor. The gun fell to the ground with a heavy thunk. I dove, but Tim picked up the gun before I could reach it.

He pointed it at me, the machete still in his other hand. “Now, tell me where I can find him.”

“Why? Why are you so obsessed with him?”

“He has haunted this area for far too long.”

“And you want to put a stop to him?”

“No.” He let out a humorless chuckle. “I want to make sure the legend continues. Do you know how good he’s been for business, not only for me but for the entire town? Do you know how many tourists come to this area hoping to catch a glimpse of him?” he said, a maniacal glint in his eyes. “He was only a folk tale before, but with the deaths of those campers he’s become more tangible. Now he’s a force of nature.”

I shook my head. “But he didn’t kill those people.”

“I know.” A cold smile spread across his face and I knew in that instant the real identity of the serial killer.

I stumbled back into the wall. “You…”

“People were losing interest. I needed to up the ante. Maryland has their Blair Witch. We have the Rocky Mountain Savage.”

“You’re deranged.”

“Probably so.” He shrugged. “Or some people would consider it good business sense.”

“So what do you want to do to Ala—the savage?”

Tim’s smile revealed something else. “I plan to take his place,” he said. “Can you imagine the national interest when the hauntings continue even after he’s caught? The legend will live on.”

I edged away as he talked, my fingers tracing the walls behind me. “You’re out of your mind.”

His features tightened, his eyes narrowing. “Bryson City is my town. I will do whatever I need to see it thrive.”

“Even kill people?”

“Whatever it takes.” He lifted the gun and cocked it. “And you, unfortunately, are just going to be the latest victim of the untamed savage.”

“Please let me go.” Hell, I wasn’t beyond begging. Not when my life was on the line. “I won’t tell anyone.”

He shook his head. “You are the most important of all the victims, Miss Randall. The woman who went missing for a week and was found, only to be taken again. You will be the first of the sacrifices—”

I didn’t need to hear more. I spun on a heel and ran for the exit. Tim dropped the machete and ran after me. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. If I could just make it past the gap, there was possibility I could lose him in the main cavern.

A bullet whizzed past my head, hitting the rock wall in front of me in a small shower of dust.

I flinched but kept going. It didn’t matter if he hit me now, I would not stop running. If he wanted to catch me, he would have to put a bullet in my head.

It felt like a million years before I reached the gap in the wall. I slid sideways and almost reached the other side when Tim grabbed my ponytail and jerked me back.

I fell to the ground, my hair pulling painfully. “Let me go,” I shouted, my panicked voice echoing around us.

“Now, Miss Randall,” he said. He sounded out of breath as he dragged me on the ground. “We’re not done here yet.”

I fought for my life, literally. I kicked and punched but Tim was stronger than he appeared, dragging me back into the main living area towards the massive rock slab that Alaric used as a work surface. Tim grabbed me under the arms and shoved me up against the slab. “Get up on there.”

I stared at the table, my heart ready to burst out of my chest. On its surface were chalk drawings that looked vaguely satanic and, suddenly, the word “sacrifice” became perfectly, horrifyingly clear.

Oh, hell no. I’m neither a virgin nor a goat.

I pushed away from the rock, colliding with Tim’s body. My arms swung wildly, hoping to make contact with the gun. Through the struggle I caught sight of the gun swinging through the air, heading straight for me.

And then all was black.